Sunday, July 30, 2017

Frankie Rowe has Died

Frankie
Rowe, who might well be the last of those who claimed to have handled debris
from the Roswell UFO crash, has died. According to Don Schmitt, on Wednesday, July 26, she had surgery but was home on Friday, on the mend. In the afternoon, she mentioned to her daughter that she was feeling cold when she suddenly collapsed. The medics arrived in about five minutes and she was conscious when she was put in the ambulance. When she lost consciousness, they attempted three resuscitations but after the third, they realized there was little hope. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Frankie Rowe. Photo copyright by
Kevin Randle

I
first met Frankie Rowe about a quarter of a century ago when Don Schmitt and I
had just finished a presentation in Roswell. She had been in the audience and
afterward talked to us briefly. We would meet with her many times over the
years as she told of her experiences back in July 1947.

There
is no doubt that she had lived in Roswell at the time. Her father, Dan Dwyer,
was a fire fighter, among other things. Frankie had told us that he had come
home one day and told them about the crash and the creatures that he had seen.
Dwyer died before any of us could interview him, but Frankie’s story was not
stand alone. Frankie’s sister, Helen Cahill and former fire fighter J. C. Smith
both said they had heard the story from Dwyer. Smith said that Dwyer had driven
out to the crash site in his car rather than in

Dan Dwyer, Frankie's father, on the far left.

equipment from the fire
department.

Frankie
said that she had been in Roswell and while at the fire department sometime
later, a state trooper had stopped by. He said that he had a piece of the
debris. Frankie described it as light weight and that it flowed like quicksilver.

Over
the years she added few details telling us about a visit from a military
officer ordering her to keep the tale to herself. Originally, she just said
that the officer had told her that if she ever mentioned the story her mother
and father would end up in Orchard Park, which had been a POW camp during the Second
World War. Later it would seem the threats had been more violent and more
direct.

One
day she called me in a panic because she had had the telephone company out to
repair her telephone. The man found what he thought to be a tap on her phone
and Frankie was sure that the government was watching her now that she had told
us about her experiences. We talked for about two hours. I don’t know if her
phone had actually been tapped or if the repairman had misinterpreted something
on the line. Whatever it was, Frankie was convinced that she was being
monitored by the government.

I
found her to be a kind lady who had an extraordinary experience. I don’t
believe I ever heard her say anything negative about anyone, though in the
Roswell case accusations were often thrown around. Once she had told us, that
is Don and me, the full tale, she didn’t change the story. It had taken a while
for her to trust us, but once she did, she confided in us and looked to us for
help.

I
last saw her a number of years ago at one of the more recent Roswell festivals.
She was living in Roswell at the time and we had a nice chat. Later she would
move to Breckenridge, Texas, where she died on July 28. She was 84.

7 comments:

Its sad to hear about her passing but she is probably now in a better place. I have listened to her testimony many times on tv shows and always thought her to be very credible. Hopefully, the Roswell UFO Museum will do something special to memorialize her life, if they haven't already.

she sounded honest to me, and it seemed she was very affected by her experience with the military. A courageous woman in my opinion, she did what she felt she had to do by coming out and sharing her experience.

I briefly spoke with Frankie this July at the Roswell festival. She stayed at Don and Tom's table which was directly across from mine and she seemed as chipper and well as when I first met her in 2011. She was soft spoken, gracious and a true lady. We've lost another piece of Roswell history. My best to her family.

Frankie Rowe passed away on Friday, July 28, 2017, in Breckenridge, Texas. A Viewing will be at Anderson Bethany Funeral Home on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. A Funeral service will be held on Thursday, August 3, 2017, 10 a.m. at First Church of the Nazarene, 501 N. Sycamore. Interment will follow at South Park Cemetery. A tribute of Frankie’s life may be found at andersonbethany.com where you may leave memories and expressions of sympathy for her family.

On October 21, 1934, Frankie was born to Dan Dwyer and Minnie Dwyer. Frankie graduated from Roswell High School. Frankie worked at AT&T for over 30 years prior to retirement. A devout church member, she volunteered as a greeter at First Church of the Nazarene. Frankie was an active member of The Pioneer’s Jingle Bob Group. Her greatest joy was going to the UFO museum on a regular basis. Frankie’s most treasured memories were living in the country, raising her children, farming and tending to her horses. She was a loving mother, sister, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother. Family and friends will miss her dearly.